Pages

Friday, December 2, 2011

Finally I found the perfect distribution for my Asus EeePC 1101HAB. Ubuntu 11.04 was performing kind of ok there, though a tad bit slow. But when I upgraded to 11.10, the hell broke loose. First, my NetBook won't boot to gnome 3, then I downgraded it to gnome 2, it would boot to text version where manually I had to start lightdm. Unity made it very slow and I started thinking of buying a new laptop. However, yesterday when I installed Ubuntu 11.10, to give a last try to Ubuntu 10.04LTS, things started working like a charm. Lucid is much faster and lighter desktop than later versions. I'll post the CPU and ram usage details in a day or two.

Saturday, November 26, 2011

Yesterday I learnt a lesson, now I would not upgrade my linux distro within 3-4 months of release. Normally a new release would have definitely scores of bugs and things get fixed within 3-4 months. Ubuntu community would have by that time addressed all the common problems once can face while installation and running. Therefore, it makes more sense to install a somewhat "matured" distro.

Like when I installed Natty, it was already 4 months old; hence, all the bugs were fixed. I used it once and got hooked to it. Similarly, for Ubuntu 11.10, when I downloaded, it had a few bugs (like the updated linux kernel not working, some difficulty in getting the screen resolution right, etc.). But, once I fixed those, it is simply a great distro to work with. I really like the updated Gwibber client - sleek and fast.

However, once point. Ubuntu doesn't force anyone to update the distribution. It is the user's choice. If you are contended with the distro version you are using, my recommendation would be not to upgrade it. It may not be nice experience if you are upgrading within 3 months of release. You see, the Ubuntu guys really works hard to create a distro which is comparable to Windows (and sometimes more functional) - the credit really goes to them. But, at times it is difficult to envision the broad spectrum of platforms on which the distro is going to run - from a 256 mb 10 year old PC to today's high-tech 4-8GB cool lappy. Hence, take your time and do some research for the common problems before you really decide to upgrade.

I found out after a lot of experimentation that Linux kernel 3.0.0-13-generic won't load into my system due to hardware limitations. So, in previous post I tried the next best alternative - go back to the previous linux kernel and use "text" boot to avoid plymouth.

Now, I was left with couple of linux kernels. The way I removed the extra linux kernel (here 3.0.0-13) was to go through the following steps:

1. Find your exact kernel, in terminal

sudo dpkg --get-selections | grep linux-image

2. Then to remove the extra kernel

sudo apt-get purge linux-image-3.0.0-13-generic

reboot

3. Remove extra headers:

sudo apt-get --purge remove linux-headers-3.0.0-13-generic

4. Once extra kernels are removed, reboot now to log in. It will take you to the text booting (which is not very nice to look at but simple and effective), type in your username and password followed by the command to load light desktop manager:

sudo service lightdm start

It works every time for me and for sure work for you as well. I'll wait for a stable and compatible linux kernel to install another one (already experimented with 3.0.0-12 but same problem for purple screen!). Till then I'll stick to whatever I have right now.

Last night, again I tried to update my Ubuntu 11.04 (Natty Narwhal) to 11.10 (Oneiric Ocelot) and landed up in a soup, which after 4 hours of dedicated research, is a bit clear now. I updated from my update manager and it took about 5 hours to download 800 mb of installation files (internet connection in India is not on the high speed side).

Once downloaded, it installed into my system without any trouble. But, when I restarted, it won't allow me beyond the purple screen "of death". The new linux kernel 3.0.0-13-generic was unable to load to my system. Even the same thing happened last time (couple of weeks ago) and I reinstalled Ubuntu 11.04 to my system. Seems like 3.0.0-13 kernel is a bit unstable.

This time I was determined to solve the puzzle. Now it is partially solved, but I am sure some more research will help me to solve it fully and have a stable version of Ubuntu 11.10 on my Asus Eee PC 1101HAB.

First I restarted the system, select Ubuntu (from the dual boot) and then press Shift till the grub menu showed. In the grub menu, I selected Ubuntu, Linux 3.0.0-13-generic (recovery mode) and then put the following commands:

Remove all instances of "quiet" and "splash" and ensure all other codes apart from the above are commented (start with #). Save grub configuration by Ctrl+X then Y and Enter.

Then update grub: #sudo update-grub
followed by #sudo reboot now

Your system would restart now. Choose the default kernel and not the recovery to update.

If the purple skin still persists then your system is unable to boot on Linux Kernel 3.*.*. Better to go back to 2.*.* version on which you were running Natty. I had to do the same, as well.

Again restart with Ctrl+Shift+Enter and choose Ubuntu followed by pressing Shift. On the grub, you'll get the option previous versions. Choose the version Ubuntu, with linux 2.6.38-8-generic and not the recovery one. It may take you again to a terminal console (also called kernel panic, even with the 2.* version of Linux), don't get disheartened.

Enter your Ubuntu login and password when prompted and then type
sudo service lightdm start

It would take you to the Ubuntu 11.10 login screen and allow you too login to the system with your password. It worked for me! Also, I need a way to stop the kernel panic and not type command to load lightdm. Let me check and put it in another post.

Now I am researching a bit how to load linux 3.* version. Right now I am running my system on Linux 2.* with Ubuntu 11.10.

Note: To make the 2.* version of Ubuntu 11.10 as default, download a startup manager from the Ubuntu software center. And then select the option as shown below, on reboot Ubuntu with Linux 2.6.38-8-generic would be your default kernel.

Monday, November 21, 2011

But the CD image is over 700 mb (which the developers claim is a bug) and hence, needs to be burn in a DVD or a Pen drive to try it out. Further, it is a long term version.

I am eager to try it out next week. Unity would be there along with Gnome. Though I prefer LXDE for speed but definitely I would try it out and put a few snapshots of the beta build.

Hope it will be fun, as it has always been with Ubuntu. I tried several Linux distros; some have more speed than Ubuntu but nothing seems more complete and so easy to install like an Ubuntu distro. For a new Windows to Linux convert, Ubuntu is simply the best and miles ahead of other distros. My personal opinion, of course.

To be honest, I am a big fan of Cairo Dock. It makes my desktop look more beautiful than what it would have been without Cairo Dock.

I was using it from the beginning of my Linux journey, in Ubuntu 11.04. Of course, I am a newbie to Linux, just started using it couple of months ago. And it has been a real learning experience. I used to hate Windows from the beginning - since Windows98 but never had the guts to try out Linux. I am a gadget freak but not really a tech guru!

But, a recent crash of Windows XP changed my view forever. I have a HP Compaq desktop which I bought way back in 2003 when I got admission to IIM Ahmedabad. Since then it has been my companion - from Ahmedabad to Bangalore (when I joined my first job after a Management PhD in 2008). I have written my thesis on it, downloaded and watched countless number of movies (I am a movie buff), romanced my would-be wife (and now mother of my cute little angel!), played a lot of games, etc. etc. The list is endless.

Couple of months ago when my Windows XP crashed and I tried reinstalling it again with the official HP and Windows XP SP1 CDs, I realized that with SP1 I won't be able to run a lot of my favorite softwares in my P4, 1 GB DDR RAM PC. I upgraded it to SP3 but it again crashed. Then came a realization that I can try Linux for my 11 year old friend. A little bit of net browsing on my backup Asus EeePC popped the name Ubuntu. 11.04 was the flavor of Ubuntu those days. Immediate installation, some experimentation to make my Sify connection active started a journey of gaining knowledge on the unexplored territory - LINUX.

I realized Linux distro are not that intimidating as I thought initially. Now even my wife (very little tech oriented) and my mother (who can barely use a computer) are able to use it without much fuss.

Well, a long prelude! But, I am now a bit sentimental about Linux distros. Real saviors for those who hate unstable Windows and lousy office.

Coming back to Cairo dock - since then I have been using Cairo dock in Ubuntu.

I installed Ubuntu 11.04 in my Asus EeePC 1101 HA as well - but the netbook hardware seems to not like Ubuntu much. It was much slower than my PC. However, the Cairo dock was working perfect. Not satisfied with the speed, I installed Lubuntu LXDE desktop. And true to it's name, it was much lighter than the GNOME shell of Ubuntu 11.04. And I got the speed I like.

But the Cairo dock had a problem in Lubuntu 11.04 - an irritating black background!

A little bit of research on net gave me the solution. Right click on the Cairo Dock -> Cairo-Dock-> Configure -> Advanced -> Behavior -> System ->Composition -> Check Emulate composition with fake transparency.

And that's it! Now look at my beautiful Lubuntu 11.04 desktop with Cairo-dock (no OpenGL). It is faster, smarter and looks stunning!

I know many users who dislike Unity interface. I too personally prefer the classic view with a Cairo dock - Unity 3D is very heavy for my Asus EeePC 1101HA. I had installed Ubuntu 11.10 on my machine as an upgrade from 11.04, which I removed later as I never liked the Unity menu bar. I like the classic view more.

Later I tried installing Lubuntu 11.10, Kubuntu 11.10 and Xubuntu 11.10 - each time I ended up with Ubuntu 11.10! Somehow if once Ubuntu 11.10 is installed, it won't allow installing the other variants on the same machine. So, as a get around, I found the following very useful - integrating the benefits of both Ubuntu and a lightweight desktop environment like XFCE, KDE or LXDE.

To install type the following commands on your terminal (with an active internet connection - involves around 50 mb of download):

All of these are derivatives of Ubuntu with a lighter desktop environment, specially good for older machines. Once you restart after installation, grub will provide you the options to log in to the desktop environment you installed. That way you don't have to remove whatever you install - Ubuntu, Xubuntu, Kubuntu or Lubuntu, and enjoy the benefit that other desktop environments offer

These are snapshots of my Ubuntu desktop (classic view), LXDE desktop and Lubuntu desktop (which I installed minutes ago) on the same computer. Hope you'll like them.

I faced this particular problem yesterday. We had the Annual fest of HSBC Analytics @ Bangalore, where our friends and colleagues gave some enthralling performances. I captured dozens of videos in my 14 megapixel Nikon D-90 with the hope that I'll upload them to YouTube for others too see. But, to my horror I discovered that each video is over 300 mb (4-5 min. of run time each). A particular video was 700 mb and it ran for 10 min.! How do I ever upload them to YouTube because it only allows 100 mb of upload per attempt? Splitting is not an option as it will ruin the fun.

So, a bit of research took me to ffmpeg - to install ffmpeg, if it is already not there in your system, you need to hit the terminal and type

sudo apt-get install ffmpeg

It was already installed in my system (Ubuntu 11.04) and hence, I did not run this command.

Once installed, on the terminal change directory (using cd) to the location where the video files are dumped. Next step is very simple - just type in the following command:

Replace DSCN3085.AVI with the file name and the format it is in and replace the output file name DSCN3085.flv with the desired output file name and the format. I want to upload these videos to YouTube and hence, flv format suits me perfect. The transformation was amazing - watching the videos it was difficult to distinguish between the original and the copy. Apart from intact picture quality and sound clarity, my 700 mb file got reduced to only 29 mb!

P.N.: You can replace 480x360 in the code with 320x240 as well if you want to reduce it further. Also, you can transform to and fro in the following formats: VOB, AVI, MPEG, FLV, DIVD-X, mp4, etc. Give it a try!

One issue I finally solved. Ubuntu 11.04 works like a charm for my desktop (1 GB DDR RAM and Pentium 4). No issues with either desktop configuration or shutdown.

However, with my Asus EeePC 1101HA, from the beginning itself there were different issues. It has 1 GB DDR2 (probably) RAM and Intel Atom processor. I had issues with the default desktop configuration (4:3) which made everything appear stretched. I had to install the Intel EMGD drivers to get a proper display, as posted earlier.

Another issue that was bugging me for sometime - after 2-3 hours of use, even if I shutdown, still it won't stop and it required me to force shutdown. I feared that it may hurt my notebook in long run.

A bit of research gave me an effective solution. Couple of simple steps and you can get rid of the bug easily. Try these steps only when the following command at the terminal doesn't work.

sudo shutdown -P now

If it works, no worries. Else, you need to try Step 1 and 2 along with the Note provided below. With these my shutdown problem is a thing of the past.

Step 1: Go to terminal and type

sudo gedit /etc/default/grub

It will open the grub file. Change the line GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT="quiet splash" to GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT="quiet splash" acpi=force apm=power_offand close it after saving.

Step 2: Again hit the terminal and type

sudo gedit /etc/modules

It will open the modules - just type apm power_off=1 below lp and save the file.

Step 3: Next type in the terminalsudo update-grub

Now the grub will be updated and you won't face any issue with shutdown.

This works like a charm in Ubuntu 11.04 with grub2. Hopefully it will work for other versions as well.

Addition on 14Nov2011:

In addition, you may need to modify ACPI configuration to enable smooth shutdown. To do so, type the following in the terminal.

One problem I faced with my Asus EeePC 1101HA was adjusting the screen resolution. Things would appear really stretched when I installed Ubuntu 11.04. The Display option would have only one option for me (4:3). A little research on the topic and I found the following commands to actually install the Intel EMGD drivers which would give me enough options to choose from:

Once I started using Ubuntu OS, my biggest headache was Sify broadband connection. The Linux client provided by Sify would disconnect on and often. Normally every night I download movies and that gives me the mental peace that I'm utilizing my unlimited connection to the fullest extent.
However, I could not do so for past few days. And I'm no programmer.
Finally after much searching for a couple of days, I found a permanent solution - no more logging out of Sify. Now whenever my computer starts, I'm logged in automatically and practically never logged out unless I wish so.

Here I am adding today the crack to Sify. Download the SuperSify client from http://thegoan.com/supersify/supersify.zip and save it in a folder. Unzip it at /home. Unzipping at home is a convenient option as you don't have to change directory every time you would like to open Sify.

Now you have to do this with your internet connection on. I am assuming it to be on, otherwise you won't be able to download SuperSify.

Check if you have got Java installed by typing "java" at the terminal. If not, go to terminal and type the following to download Java
sudo apt-get install gcj-4.4-jre-headless

Once you are through with Java installation, you need to get the MAC address of your PC, as the Java we installed is lower than version 6.

To get MAC address at the terminal type:

ifconfig

It will throw up a lot of things over your face. Look for HWaddr in the same. It will be given like

HWaddr XX:XX:XX:XX:XX:XX

Copy the MAC ID and replace ":" by "-" in Tomboy notes or whichever notepad you are using.

Now you are ready to use SuperSify.

Hit terminal and type the following

./ss.sh -u ubuntu_ghost -p ubuntu -m xx-xx-xx-xx-xx-xx

Replace ubuntu_ghost with your username and ubuntu with your password. Finally put the mac address recorded in the format "xx-xx-xx-xx-xx-xx" after -m.

Hit enter and you would be connected to Sify in about a minute or so. With the Linux client of Sify (Sifyconnect) the connection is fast - SuperSify takes sometime. However, unlike Sifyconnect, SuperSify doesn't disconnect.

To log out, type at the terminal
./ss.sh -l

If you want a ready-made autologin client from SuperSify, it is also possible. Just click on the desktop, choose Create Launcher, then in the launcher menu make it
Application in Terminal
Name: SuperSify Client
Command: ./ss.sh -u ubuntu_ghost -p ubuntu -m xx-xx-xx-xx-xx-xx
(Remember to replace with your -u username -p password -m MAC address)
Comment: Anything which you want to write

Save it and now you have a ready-made auto-login client. No need at all to hit the terminal.
Similarly you can create a log out client as well.

SuperSify is really good, never disconnects. But it is meant for customers with unlimited connection only. Even after logging out, I have seen internet to work at times which may be costly for normal users. I have unlimited internet package from Sify and I am enjoying every bit of it. Hope my experience with SuperSify helps you.

The solution has helped my better half as well. She had expressed her discontent of being logged out time and again and logging back through terminal as a mental agony for quite sometime. She was really pleased with the ready-made auto-login I designed for her. SuperSify rocks!

I faced the same problem initially. I prefer my computer to start in Ubuntu, but Windows XP being the preferred choice by default, many-a-times it would start Windows. Making Ubuntu the default option is very easy - you can do it from the terminal but I prefer the Windows approach.

Go to Control Panel -> System -> Advanced -> Startup and Recovery and press edit. You can choose Ubuntu to be the preferred Start up option.

Save it and next time when you reboot, Ubuntu will be the preferred option.

Generally we use a 32 bit machine - so choose that option. Now you have 11.10 released! Every 6 months Ubuntu comes up with an upgrade. You can download it from Windows OS of your computer and it is a 700 mb file. It would take sometime for slow internet speed. Don't forget to download via any download manager like Internet download manager, as the connection may snap if you have a slow connection.

Now using the ISO extractor, extract the files to a folder where you want to install Ubuntu. Once the extraction is complete, click and open the file Wuvi.exe and follow the guidelines to install Ubuntu. You can select the drive and size of Ubuntu installation. If you want to seriously try some variety of apps in Ubuntu, be sure to provide around 17 GB of space for Ubuntu installation.

Generally the installation process is hassle free. Once the installation is complete, restart the system. On rebooting, you'll be provided with a choice of OS's if you have a dual boot set up (meaning two OS in the computer). You can choose Ubuntu to start.

You may face the problem that I faced for the first time. Ubuntu OS won't read the LAN for me initially. Don't panic, just shut down the computer, remove the power cables and start back after 5 minutes - things will be back to normal.

Internet speed is really great in Ubuntu and it is much faster than Windows.

For Sify users, I have a blog entry which you can use to set up Sify in Ubuntu.

Once you have Ubuntu installed and the internet connection is working, you can type the following command to update Ubuntu. This is a big pain in Ubuntu that a lot of updates are required initially to make it functional. But, it doesn't take much time to install around 250 mb of updates.

Ubuntu 11.04 comes with a lot of default softwares but there are certain other really essential softwares that you may like to install. You can choose them from the Ubuntu Software Center or install it through the terminal.

The names of the essential softwares, a brief review and the installation codes are provided below:

VLC Media Player: The best media player available and much better than default Movie Player available. You can install it by:

sudo apt-get install vlc

Codecs: Along with VLC installing a few important codecs would help to run variety of media files. You can download the common codecs using the following command:

Anti-Virus: Simply put, in Linux you don't need an anti-virus. But, you don't want to send your friends using Windows files loaded with virus, do you? So, it's better to be safe than sorry. I found ClamAV free and without any hassles. It doesn't slow down your CPU and is more than enough potent to eliminate all viruses. You can install it by:

sudo apt-get install clamav clamtk

Java runtime environment: Java is absolutely essential to take the full pleasure of Internet. You can install it by:

Google chrome: The default browser for Ubuntu is Firefox and it is pathetic at best. It won't load bookmarks and would hang often. So the best option is to install chrome, a far lighter browser and offers good netspeed. You can install it by:

I tried a couple of popular docks like Docky and Cairo dock; simply put I am very much impressed with the Cairo dock. Docky doesn't give the 3D view in my Asus netbook with Intel Atom processor. However, Cairo dock simply gives a mind blowing 3D view as you can see below.

Adding Cairo is very simple from the terminal. Just type the following commands sequentially:

Cairo dock with OpenGL: For computers with higher RAM and processor speed

Cairo dock with no OpenGL: For older computers like mine :).

To enable the first one at start up, just go to Applications -&gt; System Tools -&gt; GLX Dock. Then at the Ubuntu sign, right click and choose Cairo Dock to click an option there to enable at start up. However, you can't enable the lighter dock with no OpenGL from there - you have to go to System -&gt; Preferences -&gt; Startup Applications. From there click on Add to type in the following as shown below:

Next time when you start, the lighter Cairo dock will be at your screen.

I'll add about a few essential softwares to install in Ubuntu 11.04 in my next post with the easiest way to install them.

Very recently, in one of my old PCs, Windows crashed. I was left with only Windows XP SP1 bootable CD, which I got from HP when I bought my computer way back in 2003. And I had no office. Buying a new Windows and Office CD would be expensive to my pockets (if you are in India, you can appreciate that!). Moreover, my old PC hardware won't support Windows 7, even Office 2003 used to crawl in there. So, I thought of OpenOffice - however, my past experience with it is kind of messy.

I had never used any Linux OS in my life though I am very familiar with Unix as, in work, I run a lot of analysis, in Unix SAS environment. Fortunately, I had a backup laptop in which things were working fine. I downloaded the latest Linux sensation Ubuntu 11.04 (aka Natty Narwhal). And, being a newbie to Linux and my stereotype of Linux OS, I was amazed with what I saw. A slick OS with amazing and refreshing interface is what defines Natty Narwhal.

But the biggest challenge I faced is to install Sify internet connection client in Ubuntu 11.04. After much research and trial and error for a day, I could install Sify in Ubuntu. I am documenting this in my blog as it may come handy for any new Ubuntu user with Sify internet connection.

Steps are detailed below:

1. Once you install Ubuntu in dual boot mode (dual boot means your system has both Ubuntu and Windows), initially you may not see any LAN working. Don't worry, just shut down the system for 5 minutes, turn the power off and then restart - you'll see that Ubuntu is able to locate LAN driver.

2. Plug in the LAN chord to your PC or laptop, go to the connections icon on right hand top panel, go to edit connections - edit the Wired connection (which show Auto eth0, but may be dependent on the LAN driver you have got). Put in the following information there at IPv04 setting:

3. Now open firefox, the default browser in Ubuntu 11.04, and go to http://202.144.65.70:8090/.

Go to GNU/Linux users click here to download the Sify Broadband client and download from Sify client from Installation on NON RPM Supported System. Once you have downloaded it to the Downloads folder, use Archive manager to extract the folder sify_bbclient-3.0. Go to the extracted folder and copy all the files (Ctrl+C works here) to paste them in your home directory.

4. Now go to terminal, type the following at the terminal:

sudo ./install.sh

It will prompt a message "Sify broadband client installed successfully" if you have rightly copied at the home directory.

Next type

sudo ./sifyconnect

Now begins the fun: if you get an error message like "error while loading shared libraries: libcrypto.so.4: cannot open shared object file: No such file or directory" or any other message other than your Sify login panel popping up before you asking for login ID and password, you'll need to install some packages before your Sify is up and running. But, don't worry - it is hardly 5 minutes job.

5. Download these packages from your other computer where internet connection is active

Once these are downloaded, copy them in a pen drive to the computer with Ubuntu, install package A first by opening it through Ubuntu Software Center. Once package A is installed, install package B similarly.

6. Once both the packages are installed, go back to terminal and type

sudo ln -s /usr/lib/libcrypto.so /usr/lib/libcrypto.so.4

sudo ln -s /usr/lib/libssl.so /usr/lib/libssl.so.4

Once done then type

sudo ./sifyconnect

and you'll find your regular login panel for Sify internet connection, popping up. Enter username and password that you assigned for yourself and your internet on Ubuntu 11.04 will be up and running.

In my next entry on Ubuntu, I'll tell about the essential softwares that you'll need to install.

Ubuntu is very fast and slick, you'll enjoy the experience, especially after migrating from the messy Windows environment.